William Ellery Clark

William “Bill” Ellery Clark, who had a long and distinguished career in emergency preparedness and response, died June 2, 2022 in Annapolis, MD after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He was 83 years old.

Bill was born in Boston, MA on August 29, 1938, the second of three children to Captain Ellery Harding Clark, Jr. and Grace (Gelinas) Clark. Bill lived a life of service, first joining the Annapolis Volunteer Fire Department in 1954 when he was just 16 years old. He enlisted in the Navy shortly thereafter and served aboard the USS Boston, the world’s first guided missile cruiser.

After serving in the Navy, Bill became the director of photographic and film services at the University of Maryland in College Park. While there, he was asked to cover the Apollo 11 mission for National Geographic and received an award from NASA for his work.

His experience at University of Maryland led him to a job as director of public information for the Maryland State Police. During his time with the police, he responded to the scene of major incidents, developed and coordinated complex special law enforcement programs and developed numerous highway safety programs. One of his programs received a Presidential Award from President Jimmy Carter.

Bill later joined the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS), where he oversaw a 700-person clinical and field operations team. He was responsible for the direction of the statewide EMS system, which at the time was in its infancy. He led day-to-day operations, conducted mass causality exercises and developed national policy.

His medical experience at MIEMSS led him to a position in the federal Department of Health and Human Services as its first deputy director of the Office of Emergency Preparedness and the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS). He was one of the principal authors of the Federal Response Plan and involved in many federal disasters. With great foresight, he pushed for chemical and biological terrorist attack response plans. Bill served as the U.S. civil member of the NATO Joint Medical Committee for a decade. Notably, following the tragic crash of TWA Flight 800, he helped develop a new system in the U.S. to provide family assistance following major transportation accidents.

Following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, Bill was asked to help develop the Department of Homeland Security. He ultimately joined the Department of Homeland Security as Chief of the Incident Response Section and later became the Team Commander of the NDMS-1 emergency response team.

Bill graduated with his Bachelor of Science from University of Maryland College Park and his Master of Science from Towson State University. In addition to being a dedicated public servant, he was actively involved as a volunteer in the fire and rescue services in Maryland, enjoyed sailing on the Severn River and was a talented photographer. He was seldom seen without a camera in his hands, and many family, friends and acquaintances have his photographs proudly displayed in their homes.

Bill loved his family above all else. He is survived by his beloved wife of nearly 45 years, April Clark, of Annapolis, MD, only child, Katie Clark, and son-in-law, Eric Bobak, who reside in Houston, TX. He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Susan Clark and Victoria (Clark) Waidner; and nephews, Chip Waidner and Jonathan Waidner.

A memorial service will be held at St. Anne’s Church in Annapolis, MD on Friday, June 10 at 1 pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Alzheimer’s Association in his name.